Before winning on the Arsenal bench, Mikel Arteta experienced his first European chills in another football capital: Paris. Few people remember that the elegant Basque technician, now praised for his sense of game and construction, has a special link with Paris Saint-Germain. At just 18 years old, when it is still belonging to FC Barcelona, Arteta arrives at PSG in search of experience, ready to forge a character in an environment that is both demanding and cosmopolitan. This discreet passage, overshadowed by stars like Ronaldinho or Okocha, nevertheless helped shape the future meticulous coach we know. Tuesday evening, in the semi-final of the Champions League, Arteta will therefore again meet the way to the club which marked its beginnings. The perfect opportunity to dive back into five unknown anecdotes on his Parisian adventure.
1. Caught under the wing of Mauricio Pocsettino
When he arrived in Paris in early 2001, the young Arteta (18) does not speak a word of French and discovers a new environment. Fortunately, a team executive will guide him: Mauricio Pochettino, experienced recruit arrival from Spain at the same time. Nine years his elder, Pochettino becomes a real mentor for Arteta at PSG.
“For me, he was like a father,” said Mikel later. He took me under his wing, gave me incredible advice and protected me ”. Thanks to this big brother in the locker room, the Basque environment adapts well to Parisian life. Ironically, the two men will find themselves years later as rival coaches in England (Pochettino in Tottenham, Arteta in Arsenal), but keeping the bond forged in Paris.
2. Ronaldinho roommate, witness to a genius
We can hardly imagine Arteta, a young Spanish reserved, share his daily life with the whimsical Ronaldinho – and yet, that's what happened at PSG. For a year and a half, the two prodigies were roommates in Paris. “We were roommates for a year and a half”, remembers Arteta. The 21 -year -old Brazilian had an incredible aura, always a smile, to the point that “it was impossible to be in a bad mood by his side”. In training, Ronnie succeeded by gestures that Mikel thought “physically impossible”arsenal.com. Arteta cannot come back to it: “I had never seen such a talent … It was unimaginable to play with him”. Living day by day with Ronaldinho was a source of wonder for the young Basque – and allowed him to closely observe the birth of a football genius.
Mikel Arteta, now Arsenal coach, finds his former PSG club in the Champions League semi-final.
3. The 2001 Intertototo Cup, a forgotten European title
In 2001, PSG had to go through the modest Intertoto cut to hope for a place in the UEFA Cup. This summer competition today disappeared will offer Mikel Arteta his very first trophy. The young community played several games in the tournament and even scored a goal during a 7-1 victory against the Gantoise. At the end of the route, Paris is one of the winners of the 2001 Intertototo, thus winning its ticket for the UEFA Cup. At barely 19 years old, Arteta therefore raises a European title in the red and blue jersey – a fact often forgotten in his career. This success in interto, certainly anecdotal, was a first outcome for the Basque, which discovered there the high continental level.
4. Among the elite of Ligue 1 from 19 years old
The first year of Arteta in Paris is not easy: crossed by stars like Jay-Jay Okocha or Ronaldinho in the middle, the young Basque must prove himself in the face of strong competition. But his perseverance pays in the following season (2001-2002). Having become an important element of PSG, Arteta is honored at only 19 years of place in the typical team of division 1 in 2002, during the football Oscars (the UNFP trophies then). He thus appears alongside his teammates Ronaldinho and Gabriel Heinze in the ideal eleven of the French championship. A sacred feat for such a young player, who testifies to the impact that Arteta already in Ligue 1 already after only 18 months in France. This individual distinction will mark the spirits and will confirm the potential of the future Arsenal captain.
Mikel Arteta on the Arsenal bench, ready to face Paris Saint-Germain, a club where he played at the start of his career.
5. In the absence of means, Paris lets him slip away in Scotland
Despite his wish to register in the duration at PSG, Arteta will remain only 18 months there. In the spring of 2002, Paris SG crossed financial difficulties and could not line up with the offer of Glasgow Rangers for the final transfer of the player loaned by Barcelona. The Scots, impressed by the performances of the young environment (which they have just faced in the UEFA Cup), offer around 6 million pounds in Barcelona to attach its services. This sum – modest according to current standards, but out of reach for PSG of the time – convinces Barça to give in Arteta. At just 20 years old, the Basque therefore took over the management of Glasgow in the summer of 2002. Paris, helpless, saw this promising talent for economic reasons. This departure will be all the more regretted by the supporters to have lost a player who was starting to flourish in the Paris jersey.
